Seidman Hudon Food Brokerage

Although they are still considered to be “specialty” items by most grocers, the products distributed by Seidman Hudon Food Brokerage are becoming an increasingly common sight at many supermarkets. The company, based on Coral Springs, Fla., represents a number of prominent ethnic food lines as part of its numerous offerings. For more than 15 years, Seidman Hudon Food Brokerage has served customers including supermarkets such as Publix throughout the Southeast.

Through the years, the company says the experience of its founders and its willingness to do whatever it takes for its clients have been key to its success. As it has grown from a small brokerage based in South Florida to a key distributor in the Southeast, Seidman Hudon Food Brokerage has continued to hold true to the values and principles of its leadership, and it says it expects the future to bring with it more growth and new opportunities.

The company was founded by Gary Seidman and Ed Hudon, two veterans of the food brokerage business in South Florida who met in 1998 at a trade show and discovered there was a lot they could do to help each other, according to the company. “[Seidman] had the principals but not a lot of time, and [Hudon] was a little short on principals but was long on time and determination to make a go of it in the brokerage business,” the company says. “Joining forces seemed like a good idea.”

The two merged their companies in November 1998, creating Seidman Hudon Food Brokerage. The company utilized its founders’ expertise in the kosher foods category to build a reputation as a reliable and effective distributor of specialty food items and other grocery products such as floor cleaners and laundry detergents.

“Our principals and our customers have come to rely on us,” Seidman said in a statement. “When you want something, it gets done. Our manufacturers know that no matter how large or small they are, [their products] are going to get the attention and service they require. We want them to feel they are important.”

Important Elements

According to the company, working closely with all parties at every point in the supply chain is the single-most-important element of what Seidman Hudon Food Brokerage does. By providing fast, attentive service to all of its partners and customers, the company says it ensures that all of them have a positive experience while working with it, which is important in establishing strong relationships.

“Seidman Hudon Food Brokerage believes in working closely with all parties involved in the selling process – principals, distributors, store-level managers, retailers and merchandisers,” the company says. “We act as a liaison to bring awareness of strengths and awareness of areas in need of improvement.”

“The importance of our role as brokers is bringing the buyer and seller together to complete everyone’s goal – making the sale,” Seidman said in a statement.